Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Hanzhong

For one person, living is cheaper in Hanzhong: $692 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Hanzhong
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Hanzhong Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Hanzhong

🇨🇳 China

$692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Hanzhong

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Phuket and in Hanzhong actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,208 in Phuket versus $692 in Hanzhong.

Phuket $1,208
Hanzhong $692

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,027 in Phuket versus $1,110 in Hanzhong.

Phuket $2,027
Hanzhong $1,110

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,845 in Phuket versus $1,527 in Hanzhong.

Phuket $2,845
Hanzhong $1,527

Living in Phuket is roughly 74% more expensive than in Hanzhong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Hanzhong 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$2.75 ¥18.38

60.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$18.25 ¥122

76.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$4.53 ¥30.27

93.38%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$2.18 ¥14.55

29.82%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 ฿30.14

$0.40 ¥2.70

125.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.26 ¥1.74

80.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$1.53 ¥10.21

66.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$1.52 ¥10.19

151.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.45 ¥9.68

19.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.67 ¥11.17

-11.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$0.91 ¥6.10

65.93%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.43 ¥9.53

51.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$11.80 ¥78.9

66.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$4.17 ¥27.85

-19.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$10.31 ¥69.0

8.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$1.68 ¥11.23

69.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.10 ¥7.35

54.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$1.28 ¥8.55

71.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$1.27 ¥8.52

61.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$0.65 ¥4.31

123.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$0.71 ¥4.72

94.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$0.63 ¥4.19

69.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.59 ¥3.96

-13.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.44 ¥22.99

23.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$9.81 ¥65.6

89.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$0.78 ¥5.18

128.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$1.75 ¥11.71

62.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.29 ¥1.91

679.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$18.20 ¥122

21.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$1.24 ¥8.27

142.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.29 ¥1.91

265.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$4.58 ¥30.62

-15.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.26 ¥8.46

15.08%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$19.1K ¥128.0K

37.55%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$17.8K ¥118.8K

51.69%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$96.4 ฿3,221

$41.30 ¥276

133.37%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$11.04 ฿369

$5.82 ¥38.95

89.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$10.63 ¥71.1

61.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$40.88 ¥273

27.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$14.70 ¥98.3

-24.08%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$5.10 ¥34.07

53.14%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$556 ฿18.6K

$703 ¥4,703

-20.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$17.2K ¥114.9K

-32.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$38.35 ¥256

67.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$37.56 ¥251

-23.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$73.8 ¥494

29.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$92.3 ¥617

-4.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$293 ¥1,958

151.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$184 ¥1,227

151.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$637 ¥4,260

228.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$375 ¥2,506

220.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$3,538 ¥23.7K

-1.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$1,918 ¥12.8K

31.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$588 ¥3,929

-14.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.1

79.68%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Last update for Hanzhong: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Hanzhong

$184 26.5% 60.3% $279

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Hanzhong

$194 28% 27.7% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Hanzhong

$58 8.3% 53.6% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Hanzhong

$109 15.7% 12.4% $15

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Hanzhong

$75 10.8% 38.1% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Hanzhong

$51 7.4% 24.6% $17

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Hanzhong

$22 3.2% 44.2% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $737 in Phuket and $293 in Hanzhong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hanzhong pays 17% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $18.00 in Hanzhong for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $194 per month, with Hanzhong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Hanzhong

🕒 Local time

02:16 2:16 AM

03:16 3:16 AM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

3,416,196

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Phuket Hanzhong 2,940 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Hanzhong

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Phuket vs Hanzhong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hanzhong wins on cost – living expenses run 74% lower than in Phuket. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Hanzhong the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 17% lower in Hanzhong. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $737 in Phuket versus $293 in Hanzhong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $556 in Phuket versus $703 in Hanzhong. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 38% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $692 in Hanzhong versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Hanzhong but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Hanzhong the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Hanzhong delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $692 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Hanzhong hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Hanzhong are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Hanzhong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 74% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.